Early Review: Blood and Silver by James R. Tuck
Blood and Silver by James R. Tuck
Deacon Chalk Occult Bounty Hunter #2
He hasn’t met a monster yet that could give him a scare. With ice in his veins, silver hollow-points in his chambers, and an innate ability to rise from the dead, what’s to fear? The answer may be something he doesn’t want to face…
Deacon Chalk normally has no trouble telling innocent victims from real monsters. So protecting an abused pregnant were-dog is a no-brainer…until a vicious lycanthrope leader and his brotherhood target Deacon, other shape-shifters, and any humans in their way. Suddenly, Deacon is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsure who—or what—to trust. The only edge he has left is a weapon hungry for his soul and his most savage impulses. And using it will exact a price even this hell-raising hunter fears to pay…
As a tough as nails monster hunter, Deacon Chalk spends every free moment tracking down the things that go bump in the night. With unique abilities and an uncanny ability to avoid death, it would seem nothing can stand in his way, no matter how strong his opponent may be. When he stumbles across a pregnant were-dog being beat to death by a nasty lycanthrope group, he rushes in to save her. However, this time he may have bitten off more than he can chew as he has put himself in the middle of a shifters war. With Deacon and his crew right in the path of danger, there will be no easy solution, and this time around the costs may be too high to bear.
While Deacon still has quite the chip on his shoulder, his conceitedness seems to have toned down several notches, making him much more bearable. I think a lot of his softening is due mostly in part to the influence Tiff has on him. Of course that relationship is quite complicated due to his inability to really move beyond the loss of his family and fully open up to another person. However, there is definitely something growing between them, and I really admire her patience and ability to slowly break down his walls. Another major improvement in his character would be the lessening of the constant lectures. Deacon may still be rather repetitive at times, but at least he didn't comes across as so preachy this time around.
The extremely graphic violence in Blood and Silver was a little too much for my tastes. Considering the fact that I read a lot of Urban Fantasy novels in which there is more than plenty violence, it really says something about how excessively violent Blood and Silver was to bother me. Perhaps, it isn't really the amount the violence, but more how descriptive it all was. It just seemed like the book was written with the theory of the more gore and violence, the better. I'm just not a fan of violence for the sake of violence. If it doesn't serve to fully further the story, then I think it should be toned down at the very least.
Despite my attachment to the majority of the side characters and the interesting mythology, in all honesty I highly doubt I will be reading anything more from this series. It is just too far on the pulp fiction spectrum rather than Urban Fantasy despite the heavy paranormal aspects of the story. Granted, Blood and Silver did earn a slightly higher rating from me than the previous installment, but in the end it just didn't work well enough for me to warrant continuing on. That being said, the series does seem to be headed in the right direction due to Deacon's growth. Combine that with the great secondary cast and the paranormal aspects, and excessive violence aside, I think Blood and Silver was a solid installment, and will largely appeal to fans of the first book.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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